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Hydrotherapy at Home: Using a Hot Tub for Chronic Pain

Adding a used hot tub to my backyard design was the best choice I made this year. There are so many hot tub benefits to consider, the biggest of which is pain management. My hot tub gave me my mobility, energy, and, really, my life back. Here’s how you can get some hydrotherapy at home using a hot tub.

Hydrotherapy at Home: Using a Hot Tub for Chronic Pain

Getting a hot tub wasn’t an easy choice for me. As a firm eco-conscious and regenerative gardener, a big energy-sucking, chemical-heavy hot tub wasn’t exactly fitting into my new home plans.

But as I found my pain getting worse and my flareups becoming more frequent, I was desperate for a way to manage my pain without needing to pop painkillers 24/7.

I researched a lot before settling on a used hot tub that was selling for practically pennies on Facebook Marketplace. With a little bit of work and renovations, I turned what would be junk into a more eco-friendly hot tub.

You can read all about that project and how to adjust your own hot tub here.

Buying this hot tub and making room for it in my garden design is one of the best decisions I have ever made for my body. It has become my daily saviour for dealing with my chronic pain. Let me explain!

using a hot tub at home for hydrotherapy
My hot tub is secondhand but still works beautifully after putting in some work.

My Struggle With Chronic Pain

Since 2006, I’ve been dealing with chronic pain. For years, I’ve dealt with my disability and have found ways to manage it fairly effectively. But as I get older, holy cow, it can take me out, especially in the winter.

Many pain medications do a number on my stomach, and I’m sensitive to most prescribed pain options. Unfortunately, I can’t pop pills every time I feel pain. When I do, I usually have different negative reactions to deal with.

Chronic pain has a substantial impact on my life. While I’m used to it, I do need to break the pain cycle. It won’t go away with rest, like an injury might. It occurs all the time unless I find a way to manage it.

I’m also an active person with chronic pain. I want to get outside, walk with the dog, putter in the garden, ski in the winter, and go camping with kiddo. How can I exercise and do everything I want to do?

Even those who love to chill out, will find how exhausting chronic pain can be on the brain. It affects not only our physical health but our emotional and mental health.

The longer the pain goes on, the harder it is to keep energetic. I don’t have the ability to exercise how I used to, which only increases the chronic pain as I lose muscle tone and carry more weight.

All that being said, I’ve had to begin looking for ways to manage chronic pain that will consistently work for me as I get older. My hot tub benefits have not gone unnoticed, and I find myself wanting to gush about it so others who may struggle with chronic pain can feel some relief, too.

hot tub for back pain
Heat from water can help to relax the body and reduce stiffness.

Using Hydrotherapy at Home

Hydrotherapy is a type of treatment for physical pain and stiffness using water. This can include aquatic exercise, sitz baths, saunas, hot water compresses, and even the bath you have at home after a long day.

Considered an alternative treatment, different cultures have used varying forms of hydrotherapy for thousands of years. What I love about it is how accessible it is and that it’s quite effective for various symptoms.

Years ago, I had an infrared sauna. While I liked it, I never really got into the routine of using it. It didn’t feel as supportive on my body, and I took long hot baths filled with Epsom salts instead.

Everybody will have a different preference and experience with heat for treatment, but I found that a hot bath helped me feel better the next day.

When I moved and was thinking about what to do with my outdoor space, a hot tub seemed like a great option as a daily bath taker. I’ve even had them multiple times a day when I’m experiencing a bad flare-up.

I saw a hot tub as a way to help me stay off painkillers, which have ruined my gut. It would also allow me to save water and get away from bathtubs. While my new house had a beautiful clawfoot tub, I found its shape very hard, and it put a lot of pressure on my body, not to mention that it was hard to get in and out.

using a hot tub for hydrotherapy at home
Outdoor lighting adds to the relaxing nature of the hot tub.

All the Hot Tub Benefits!

Pain Management

The reason I sought out a hot tub was pain management, and it has not disappointed me in this regard. I can wake up in the morning with so much pain that I won’t be able to function. Before anything, I will pop in the hot tub and feel my body return to me. I also use it before bed to help break the pain cycle before sleep.

Workout Recovery

As someone who is pretty active, it can also help with my recovery after I go on my daily dog walk or do a little bit of exercise. After a whole day of straining my body and being exhausted, I can use the hot tub to help put me in a state of relaxation.

Mobility

After I have a soak, I notice an immediate release in my body. It greatly improves my mobility because the muscles are less stiff.

Those will also find that aquatic exercise has a very low impact, so doing a little bit of movement within the water can help you get your body moving without putting much stress on your joints.

Relaxation

Reduced pain, relaxed muscles, and less stiffness all mean I can move around much better. For this reason, I get a way better sleep and prevent even more flare-ups from occurring.

Mental Health

The mental health aspect of a hot tub must not go unnoticed as well. Reducing my pain has helped me achieve better mental clarity. I’ve reduced my stress load and found a new component of my self-care ritual.

I developed my hot tub, so it is part of my garden. I can sit in the hot tub looking at the sky, watch the crows fly overhead, and enjoy my garden space.

hot tub privacy wall with shelves and houseplants
I decorated my hot tub space to make it feel more homey and cozy, including items like shelves and plants.

Reducing Pain Medications

Taking pain medications would allow me pain relief in one area but would cause gut issues and discomfort in other areas. A hot tub could provide me with pain relief without causing another kind of pain elsewhere. This would help my emotional resilience as I know I’m doing something good for myself.

Less Water Waste

I used to use baths as a form of recovery and relaxation, relying on them daily and sometimes twice a day to help me keep my body moving. As you can imagine, that would use up a lot of water.

Now, I can use my hot tub 2-3 times a day and not feel guilty about all that water going down the drain.

I keep my hot tub well-insulted, actually replacing the old insulation with hard foam.  The original cover was also recycled and replaced with a new one to maximize insulation and the hot tub’s energy efficiency.

outdoor shower bamboo base surrounded by crush gravel
My shower and French drain are next to my hot tub, which filters water into the ground and my garden.

Getting Social

Another aspect that I didn’t initially think about was how fun having a hot tub would be. When I had friends over, we could all sit in the hot tub and visit there instead of going out or having drinks inside. And it’s so, so lovely!

hot tub benefits
My hot tub is part of my patio area, which is great for entertaining.

Hot and Cold Hot Tub Circuits

The hot and cold circuit is known more professionally as contrast bath therapy, a form of hydrotherapy where you alternate putting your body in hot then cold water. It’s often associated with Scandinavian culture and is a highlight at many spas.

Contrast bath therapy works by rapidly changing your circulatory system and changing your heart rate. First, your blood vessels open up when your body is immersed in hot water. Then, the opposite happens in cold water as your capillaries get smaller. The contrast creates a pumping motion in your blood vessels, which can help with physical symptoms.

Contrast bath therapy is a passive and non-invasive form of therapy, so it’s easy to do for those who are having difficulty doing much besides sitting.

Here’s my personal hot and cold circuit cycle that I use:

  1. When I’m feeling bad, I start with a fifteen-minute soak in the hot tub with the jets on, giving me a “massage.”
  2. After, I have a quick one-minute icy shower with my outdoor shower. Yes, it’s hard to leave the comfort of the warmth, but it stimulates my nerves.
  3. Have a ten-minute rest. I sit outside on my patio, wrapped in a towel or blanket.
  4. If I’m feeling better, I’ll get ready for the day. If I’m still not doing well, I’ll repeat it all again. Sometimes, I do up to three cycles.
hot tub benefits include pain management
My outdoor shower is propane-fueled and can go either hot or cold.

Caring for Your Skin After Being in a Hot Tub

The one thing I will say about having a hot tub is that it can be tough on your skin. For the record, I have sensitive skin, and I still think the hot tub is well worth it.

To help, I stay hydrated. I always drink water when I’m in the hot tub. Afterward, I make sure to rinse off and use my natural soaps. The cold showers, as part of my hot/cold circuit, also help by closing up the blood vessels that cause skin dryness and rosacea.

soap and loofah on dish next to houseplant
I keep a loofah and soap outside next to my outdoor shower.

It’s also a good idea to moisturize. I also spritz myself with witch hazel and rose water.

I use very few chemicals to keep my hot tub as natural as possible (read more about that here). I use the minimum amount of what’s needed to try and make the water as sensitive and skin-friendly as possible.

I change my hot tub water about every four months, sometimes sooner if there have been many people in it.

All these things help to prevent my skin from feeling dry and scratchy. While my skin bothers me occasionally, I find the pain management well worth this side effect.

FAQ for My At-Home Hot Tub

What costs can you expect for a hot tub?

Since I got a used hot tub, the initial cost wasn’t that bad. There are so many hot tubs out there that I highly recommend you find someone local who refurbishes them and will deliver it to you.

You’ll also need to prepare the space for the hot tub to sit, which should be considered in the initial cost. Moving hot tubs is also expensive and should be done by special movers.

There are chemicals you’ll need for maintenance. I don’t use any chemicals besides bromine and baking soda, as well as an RV water filter.

The ongoing cost of it isn’t too bad if you’re insulting it well. I also found that I’m likely saving money, considering how often I would fill my bathtub beforehand. Not to mention, my hot tub is electric, while my home’s hot water heater is natural gas so it’s a cleaner energy source.

How do you lift the hot tub with reduced mobility?

I installed a bar lifter in my hot tub. It allows me to fold the hot tub cover in half and then use the lifter to move the cover onto the bench I have behind the hot tub. Even when my mobility is restricted, I find lifting quite simple.

More Helpful Tips to Try

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